Mbeki begins Ivory Coast mediation mission

South African former leader Thabo Mbeki has held talks in Ivory Coast with incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo, at the start of his attempt to resolve the growing political crisis.

Both Mr Gbagbo and opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara have declared victory in last Sunday’s presidential run-off.

Mr Ouattara was initially declared the winner but a court overturned the result in Mr Gbagbo’s favour.

The African Union has warned the crisis could have “incalculable consequences”.

After meeting Mr Gbagbo at the presidential residence in Abidjan, Mr Mbeki said: “We want to hear everybody’s point of view in this matter before making any recommendations about what to do.”

Mr Mbeki was due to meet Mr Ouattara later on Sunday.

A statement by the AU, which sent Mr Mbeki, condemned “any attempt to create a fait accompli to undermine the electoral process and the will of the people”.

It called on all parties to “show the necessary restraint and to refrain from taking actions which will exacerbate an already fragile situation”.

Several countries and international organisations – including the US, the EU, France, the UN and the IMF – have backed Mr Ouattara as the true winner of the run-off.

Mr Mbeki arrived at Abidjan airport on Sunday morning, the first time that the country’s borders had been opened since the crisis blew up on Thursday.

When he was president of South Africa, Mr Mbeki helped to mediate a peace deal in Ivory Coast.

Thabo Mbeki’s arrival is the first attempt by someone outside the current deadlock to try to find a breakthrough.

He faces a considerable challenge. Ivory Coast now has two presidents and he is mistrusted by the opposition.

Mr Gbagbo, who achieved victory by the exclusion of hundreds of thousands of Mr Ouattara’s votes in the north, has control of the army and the state television station.

Mr Mbeki’s first priority is likely to be to persuade the New Forces rebel movement, which has controlled the north since the start of the civil war in 2002, to remain calm while he seeks a resolution.

It is feared that if he fails to find a way out, rebel groups in the north who support Mr Ouattara will take up arms in protest.

Mr Ouattara was declared the winner on Thursday by Ivory Coast’s Election Commission, but on Friday its ruling was overturned by the Constitutional Council, which is led by an ally of Mr Gbagbo.

Mr Gbagbo, who has the backing of the head of the country’s armed forces, was sworn in for a third term in office at the presidential palace on Friday afternoon.

He repeated the accusations of fraud that had led the council to discount large number of ballots in the north, where Mr Ouattara’s support is strongest.

“You think that you can cheat, stuff ballot boxes and intimidate voters and that the other side won’t see what is going on,” Mr Gbagbo said.

He also said he had noted “serious cases of interference” in recent days, referring to international disapproval of his return to power.

“We didn’t ask anyone to come and run our country. Our sovereignty is something I am going to defend,” he said.

He said the election had been “historic” and that he was proud of it, but that the last few days had been “difficult”.

“But it’s just a brief episode – I want to tell you that Ivory Coast is now in good hands,” he said.